Ford Transit Gets Side Wind Stabilisation System, Don't Look For Any Winglets

The most dangerous situation that involves side winds is on the highway, when you drive on a seemingly predictable stretch of asphalt at high speed.

It looks like everything is in order with you and your van, but you then have to correct the steering out of the blue. You might even feel the vehicle being shaken, but nobody is touching it.

The sensibility to side winds is also upsetting in light hatchbacks and sedans, but also in high-riding SUVs, but a van can make all of those seem like a walk in the park.

Ford has devised a system to ease the strain on drivers who have to deal with side-winds on the highway, and it has been included as a standard feature for the Transit line.

All Transit and Transit Custom commercial vehicles from the Blue Oval will get the system to reduce the stress put on the driver during long journeys. The system uses sensors that monitor specific parameters 100 times per second to detect even the smallest gust of wind.

If a significant side wind is detected, the systems on the Ford Transit will gently apply the brakes on one side of the vehicle to prevent it from departing its lane. The application is made in a way that does not bother the driver, and some users might not even perceive it is working.

The idea is that drivers will have to work less to keep the Transit on its lane during side winds on the highway and in other roads where this could be an issue. It works at speeds over 50 mph (80 km/h), and the system reacts in less than 200 milliseconds, which is faster than most humans would respond to things like these.

Evidently, this works within the laws of physics, so do not go chasing a tornado in a Transit just because your vehicle has a system to help cope with side winds.